Vinyl siding is generally used for homes and other buildings, and is a lightweight, easily installed material that lasts 10-30 years, depending on the elements. Vinyl siding, however, has several drawbacks. First, vinyl siding weathers quickly and it is difficult to match damaged, worn, or faded sections of siding for replacement. Vinyl also has a synthetic appearance that is visually different from wood siding. In addition, vinyl siding is also relatively temperature sensitive expanding and contracting as the temperature changes. Vinyl siding may even crack in cold weather.
Aluminum siding is also common, but has a distinctive synthetic or metallic appearance markedly different from natural wood. Aluminum is also a costly product.
Lap siding (e.g., wood and cement siding) is a highly desirable siding product because it has an appearance that can aesthetically mimic that of natural wood and other natural housing materials. Lap siding is also less temperature sensitive than vinyl and the cost of the material itself is on par with the cost vinyl siding.
Although many consumers would prefer cement lap siding, because of its weight, cement lap siding is far more labor intensive and costly to install. Because of the weight of cement lap siding, at least two people must install it, doubling or tripling labor costs.
With both vinyl and cement lap siding, planks of lap siding have to be secured so that they are level on a horizontal plane and at an angle sufficient to overlap with a lower, previously installed plank. Each overlapping plank must be positioned so that the siding has a constant reveal (e.g., visible vertical width when installed) which requires careful measuring and leveling before the placement of each plank.
Typically, the task of installing lap siding requires three individuals. Due to the length (e.g., 12 feet) of the planks, two individuals are necessary to carry and hold the plank steady and level while a third individual secures the plank to the wall studs. The plank needs to be supported at multiple places during the installation process to prevent snapping of the plank.
To install lap siding, planks are applied horizontally starting from the bottom and each subsequent plank is manually placed so that it overlaps the previously placed plank. To install the bottom plank, a line is chalked to indicate placement of the top of the bottom plank, the top of the plank is then aligned with the chalk line and nails or screws are driven into the plank approximately every 6 inches depending on the placement of studs. The plank must be held steady while it is secured to the wall, which typically requires 2 to 3 individuals depending on the length and weight of the plank.
For the placement of the next plank, the installers must measure to ensure the appropriate amount of reveal and overhang and then chalk another line. The placement of each plank must be measured and a line must be chalked prior to the placement of each plank to ensure that each plank is installed level and with the correct amount of reveal and overhang.
Many attempts have been made to reduce the number of individuals and time required to install siding, as well as to simplify the installation process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,958 (Chalmers '958) teaches the use of vertical “stringers,” positioned 16 to 24 inches apart, to install siding panels. A stringer is a rectangular structural component used with siding, generally made of vinyl.
FIG. 2 of Chalmers '958 illustrates a typical vertical stringer. The vertical stringer has upper and lower contoured portions which correspond to the contours on the top and bottom of a panel of vinyl siding and are used to lock the vinyl siding into place. The center of vertical stringer includes a tab, which has no function other than enabling the vertical stringer to be used with a second type of vinyl panel. The vertical stringers illustrated in Chalmers '958 may be used only in conjunction with vinyl panels having corresponding contours. In addition, it cannot be adapted for use with heavier siding, such as lap siding.
Other siding installation aids require that the device be secured to a wall using nails or another fastener and then removed once the piece of siding has been installed. Removing the siding installation device leaves holes in the wall which is structurally undesirable.
Generally, installation siding aids are marketed toward homeowners who want to install siding themselves, not toward contractors, and are not designed to speed of the process of installing siding.
It is desirable to have a siding installation device which is secured to the exterior of a building before installing the siding and is not removed once the siding has been installed.
It is further desirable to have a siding installation device which allows an individual to install multiple horizontal rows of siding with a single placement of the device(s).
It is further desirable to have a siding installation device which decreases the amount of time required to install siding.